#1 If you get stuck in a riptide, remain calm and swim parallel to the shore; if you swim towards the shore, you will tire faster.

Before we get any further, let’s understand what riptides are. Firstly, they are not so much tides as currents; secondly, these currents move from the shore to the sea with startling rapidity and are powerful enough to drag an unsuspecting person with them. Statistics indicate that 80% of all open-water rescue attempts are because of riptides, which claim over 100 lives every year.